The Gwa people group are located in Nigeria, Saminaka Gwa, a village in Toro local government of Bauchi State. To get to this community from Jos, move to Magama along Bauchi road, from Magma to Ganjole, from Ganjole to Saminaka Gwa (Old and New).
The Gwa people exceled as hunters, but now they are more likely to be farmers.
They formerly settled in a location which was at a distance to the present Gwa village. Because they are hunters, they go to the interior forest to hunt. After killing the animals, they encountered the challenge of moving the carcass to their settlement where they would sell the meat. They established the habit of preparing it and cutting it up for easy carriage. Eventually they established a new village near where they hunt. Since the land is also fertile, they engaged in farming as well. Hausa culture is gradually dominating the Gwa culture.
It should be noted that the Gwa people group had their own native religion in the past. Now they blend that with Islam, resulting in folk Islamic beliefs. Officially they are Muslims, but their daily lives are dominated by the same gods that they worshipped before the arrival of Islam.
The Gwa of the Ivory Coast, known as the Mabato, are a distinct ethnic group from the Gwa of Nigeria.
The Gwa of Ivory Coast are only found in this country. The two groups should not be confused.
Population of Gwa in Ivory Coast are 45.000 (Peoplegroups.org, 2025)
The Mbato language group of southern Cote d 'Ivoire likes to be called Nglwa. They live in a tropical rainforest fringed by a coastal lagoon. The nearby city of Abidjan, the country's economic capital, is also home to many of them. The majority of people earn a living from agriculture. Some are subsistence farmers, living off what they raise in their own fields. Others work in agricultural cooperatives that grow palm oil, coconut, cassava or bananas. Still others work for large producers of rubber and palm oil.
Today a large percentage profess Christianity but also follow the rules of animistic traditions deeply ingrained in their cultures. Those strong in their faith often face daily pressures from those who insist on using fetishes - objects believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a man-made object that has power over others - to ward off evil spirits
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